Locking and operating mechanism for cell doors



NOV. 11, 1941; HARIT ET AL 2,262,674

LOCKING AND' OPERATING MECHANISM FOR CELL DOORS Filed Aug. '27, 1940 5 Sheets-Sheet I m Q Q 1* 1 Nov. 11, 1941. T T AL 2,262,674

LOCKING ANi) OPERATING MECHANISM FOR CELL DOORS Filed Aug. 27, 1940 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Nov. 11, 1941. H. s. HART ETA; 2,262,674

LOCKING AND OPERATING MECHANISM FOR CELL DOORS- Filed Aug. 27, 1940 5 Sheets-Shet s NOV. 11, 1941. H, H R ETAL 2,262,674

LOCKING AND OPERATING MECHANISM FOR CELL DOORS Filed Aug. 2'7, 1940 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 1941- H. s. HART ETAL LOCKING AND OPERATING MECHANISM FOR CELL DOORS Filed Aug. 27, 1940 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Patented Nov. 11, 1941 LOGKING AND OPERATING MECHANISM FOR CELL DOORS Herbert S. Hart and Hull Youngblood, San Antonic, Tex., assignors to Southern Prison Company, San Antonio, Tex., acorporation ofTexas ApplicationAugust 27, 1940,.Seria'LNo. 354,458

13 Claims.

This invention relates to locking and operating mechanism for a .plurality of sliding cell doors arranged in a row and, among other objects, aims to provide a greatly improved, simplified, easily operated and dependable control mechanism embodying a single master bariand selector means for connecting it to and disconnecting it from the respective doors, the arrangement being such that any selected door or doors may be unlocked, .opened vand locked open or unlocked, closed and locked closed by a continuous actuation of a single operating member. Another aim is to provide interconnectedlock operating and door propelling means designed .and arranged to make it impossible to jam the mechanism or to disconnect any selected door after it has been selected or .moved. A further aim is to provide novel selectormechanism to index out or in any desired number of .doors, leaving the remainder lockedopen or locked closed.

:Other aims and advantages of the invention will appear in the specification, when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a .fragmentary elevation, partly in section, of mechanism embodying the invention, showing it associated with a single door which is locked closed;

Fig. .2 is a sectional 2-2.of,Fig. 1;

Fig. '3 is a fragmentary .detail view showing an operating plunger .pin in a position corresponding with that shown in Fig. 1.;

view taken on the line Fig. 4 is a view similar .to Fig. -l but showing the position of the parts'when the dooris .par-

tially open;

Fig. 5is a fragmentary view taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 3 but showing 5 the operating plunger in the position corresponding with that in Fig. v5;

Fig. 7 is another view similar to .Fig. 1 but showing the door in its locked open position;

Fig. 8 is a sectional View taken on the .line 8-8 of Fig. '7;

Fig. 9 is another view similar to Fig, :3 but showing the operating plunger .in the position corresponding with that shown in Fig. 7.;

Figs. 10, 11 and 12 are vertical sectional views taken on the lines Ill-l0, lI-H and .|.2.l2

of Figs. 1, 4 and '7, respectively; and

Figs. 13, 14 and 15 are top plan views partly in sectionshowing the mechanism in the positions corresponding with those shown in Figs. 1, 4 and 7 respectively.

looking bar has a notch 21 to straddle the lock- Referring particularly to the drawings, the embodiment shown therein is applied to a prison .cell system wherein. a plurality of cells ar arranged in a block or row, as usual, and the .cell doors are of the sliding type. The doors are all adapted to be operated from. asingle control station or remote control box, not shown. Such systems are well .known in the art. .For the sake of simplicity, only one. cell doorfZii of a series is shown as being mounted onthe usual door carriage 21 arranged Withina coverbox 22 above the whole line of doors. It is suspended from the carriage by means of a plate orhanger 23 projecting upwardly through a slot into the upper portion of thetrack box. Each door is adapted to be locked by an ordinary vertical locking .bar 24 projecting upwardlyinto the cover box. The door has a horizontal locking flange 25 .at the top provided with notches 2% which cooperate with the locking bar and the ingwflange 25 and thus unlockthe door. ,Also, the bar cooperates with a vertical notched flange 28 at the bottom tolock the door both at the top and the bottom in opened and closed positions. The locking bar .as usual is concealed in a housing 29 at the front of the cell. It will be understood that thebar is adapted. to be raised and lowered by mechanism within the cover box. I

In this instance,. the mechanism for operating the locking bar and .moving 'the .doors to open and closed positions embodies a single'master operating bar 30 and each door has an individual selector adapted tobe operated .from the control box. The master bar 30 is adapted to be reciprocated by a hand .wheel or lever (not shown) .also arranged in the control box. It is connected to the mechanism over each door.

, Referring first to the means for actuating the locking bar, there is shown-a T-shapedrocker 3| pivoted on apin or bolt 32 extending through the top vof the .door hanger 23. It has .two. depending front andrear plates :33 and, conveniently in the form of a wide vertical channel. Also, it has substantially horizontal arms 35 and 36 formed of a single ,piece of structural channel opening toward the rear. of the .cover box.

The arms 35 and .36 present vertical notches 3'! i .and 38in the upper flange of the .channel near their ends for a purpose hereinafter to be described.

The locking bar projects upwardly through the cover box behind the rocker arm and has a forwardly projecting pin carrying a roller .39 guided on the channel, so that, when spring 53 is. then held under compression. will be understood that the pull rod ll-may.be

the channel is rocked, it will raise or lower the locking bar.

The depending plates 33 and 34 straddle the hanger plate 23 and the back one, 34, lies next to the front face of the master bar 30. These plates have aligned openings to receive an operating plunger pin 40 adapted to be projected into an opening 4| in the master bar 30 or between a pair of flanges bolted to the bar. The pin also extends through a horizontal slot in both the hanger 23 and the carriage 2|. 7 slot has enlarged circular openings 42 at its op-j posite ends to accommodate the pin and the horizontal portion provides a restricted throat 43, so that the plunger pin 40 when its cylindrical end portion passes through .either circular end of the slot will be locked relative to thehanger or rocked. The plunger pin is shown as having a short notch 44 adapted to be moved into registry withthe throat 43 so that ,it can move the link' has cam slots 48 engaging the pins so thatjwhen the. link is reciprocated, it will move laterally or forwardly and rearwardl'y. The vertical flange of the link is connected to the plunger pin .40 byme'ans of anotch 49 inthe lower side" of the" front end of the pin. The link is adapted tobe pulledtoithe left as viewed in ,Figs..13 to 15,Vby meansof a pull rod or, cable 50 connected at its rear end to a r'od'5l slidably mounted in a'fixed abutment plate 52 and car-1 1 rying,a compression spring .53which, when the pull rod is released. will. force the link to the right. 1 When. the link is pulled to theleft, as

viewed in Fig. 13,"for example,,the plunger pin is rojectedforwardly so that it is disengaged from the master bar 30, as best shownin Fig. 10.1 The It operatedby a selectorbutton or lever, not shown, arranged in the control box and the .lever may be locked in any convenient manner, for examole, as' shown in the White et al Patent 1336.696.

The

and thus prevent the rocker from'being moved When the pullrod is released and the link is moved to the position shown in. Fig. 14, the. plunger pin is proiected into the openings in the 1 master. bar 30,,as shown in Fig. 11. 7

Referring again. to Fig.1, wherein'the door is I 1 locked closedpit is necessary firstto raise the I looking bar 29 to unlock the door and then to impart" propelling movement to it. The selector pull, rod 50 is released sothat the plunger pin is projected rearwardly to theposition shownin i Fighll. engaging the. master bar 30. 'The notch I 44. in theupners de of the pin 40, will then register fwith. the throat 43 of the elongated slot 1 reeinguthe. depending plates 3334. or stem of the-T-shaped rocker to swing .on the upper pin I 32. ,The first movement of the master bar to the right. asviewed in. Fig.. 1, will swing the rocker counterclockwise to a horizontallposition.

To confine it to remain inthat position and guide it to move horizontally with the door hanger, there are'shown three rollers 54, 55 and .56, mounted onhorizontaland stationary .pins 1 projecting forwardly fromthe rear wall of the cover box in the same horizontal plane as the rocker pin 32. The roller 55 is immediately above the slot 33 in thearm 36, Fig. 1, while the zontal position, these rollers will lie in the chan- I nel and prevent swinging movement of the rocker. When the rocker is thus swung to its horizontal position, the plungerpin will be in the position shown in Fig. 6 intermediate the ends of the slot. When the master bar 30 is further moved to the right, the arms of the rocker are confined to travel horizontally as shown in Fig. 4 and it is guided on all of the rollers 54, 55 and 56. Whenthe door is'fully opened or reaches the position shown in Fig. 7, the slot 31 in the left hand end of the channel arm registers with the roller 55 and thus frees the rocker to swing counterclockwise upon final movement of the master bar 30. In this position, the locking bar 24 is lowered to its locking position. If it is desired to leave the door open and locked open while other doors are to be closed, the selector rod or pull element 5!] is moved to the left to pull out the plunger and'free. it from the master bar. At the same time the cylindrical part of the pin. is moved forwardly so that it locks or is confined in the right'hand circular end 42-of the slot and cannot passthrough'the restricted throat 43. Thus, the rocker is automatically locked,' maki ng it impossible for'anyone to raise the locking "bar. 24 when itis left'in locked position and not selected. g g

To prevent the rocker arm frombecoming jammed, below the roller 55, and to guide the roller into the slots 31 and 38, the upper flange of the channel is shownas having upstanding guiding abutments or lugs 51. against whlch'the roller 55 contacts when the rocker swings to either of its locking positions. The faces of these abutments hold the roller in registry with lone or the other of the slots3'l and 35 in the channel arms.

It will be understood that the operation of mechanism to close and l'ock the door'is the reverse of that explained in connection with the the door islocked closed. Due to the'compression spring in the pull element which operates the link and.plung er pin it will be apparent that operation of the selector lever. or button cannot jam the plunger when it is not aligned with th'eopening in the master bar. It will ride on the, vertical webof the-master bar until it registers with theppeningandthen it will snap into operating. engagement." Thus, it is impossible for a keeper to 'jam any of the mechanism. Moreover, since the plunger-is con fined inthe throat .43 of the slot when the door is in transit (Figs. 4. 6 and 1l the keeper cannot even operatelthe selector, mechanism tofdisengage the door from the master 'bar because the back side of the slot 44 in the plunger engages the lip or projection ,58 forming the restricted throat 43. The selector means cannot be operated to pull out thefplunger until the door is either fully opened or fully closed and the plunger pin lies in one of the circular ends'42 of the slot. v a w From the foregoing description, it will be seen that the mechanism is extremely simple and easy to install. It is absolutely re'liable' in operation and has no parts which requirefrequent adjustments. No special skill on the part of a keeper is necessary to operate the locks and doors. A single master bar extending the entire length of the cell block serves to actuate all of the locks and doors. No additional deadlocking mechanism is necessary because the locking mechanism is automatically locked when the doors are locked in either open or closed position and it is practically impossible for a prisoner or keeper to jam any of the doors in an intermediate position.

Obviously, the present invention is not restricted to the particular embodiment thereof herein shown and described. Moreover, it is not indispensable that all the features of the invention be used conjointly, since they may be employed advantageously in various combinations and sub-combinations.

What is claimed is:

1. In a master operating and locking system for a plurality of sliding cell doors each having a door engaging vertical locking bar for looking it either in its open or closed position, a single master operating member for all of the locking bars and doors; a rocker member pivotally mounted on each door carriage and connected to operate the locking bar; and selector means,

for directly connecting each rocker to said. master member to impart locking and unlocking movement to the locking bar during both the initial and final movements of said master member and also to open and close the door.

2. In a master operating and locking system for a plurality of sliding cell doors each having a door engaging vertical locking bar for locking it either in its open or closed position, a single ,1

master operating bar for all the locking bars and doors; a rocker member on each door carriage connected to operate the locking bar; and selector means including a plunger for directly connecting each rocker member to said master bar, whereby the locking bar is operated by the rocker member during the initial and final movements of the master bar in proper sequence.

3. In an operating and locking system for a plurality of sliding cell doors, a single vertically movable locking'bar for locking each door in open or closed position; a master operating bar; selector means for connecting any selected door to be operated by said master bar; and a combined lock operating and door propelling member on the door and associated with the selector means to unlock or look the door and also impart opening or closing movements to the door as the master bar is operated in one direction.

4. In an operating and locking system for a plurality of sliding cell doors, a single vertically movable locking bar for locking each door in open or closed position; a master operating bar: selector means for connecting any selected door to be operated by said master bar; and means pivoted on the door connected to operate the locking bar and forming a part of the selective connection between the door and the master bar, whereby the master bar imparts unlocking, door propelling and locking movements in proper sequence during a continuous actuation of the master bar in either direction.

5. In an operating and locking system for a plurality of sliding cell doors, a single vertically movable locking bar for locking each door in open or closed position; a master operating bar; selector means for connecting any selected door to be operated by said master bar; and combined lock-operating and propelling mechanism associated with the door and including a rocker member adapted to be directly operable by said master bar when it is moved in'either direction to unlock the door, propel the door to opened or closed position and lock the door, said rocker member being connected to raise and lower said locking bar.

6. In an operating and locking system for a plurality of sliding cell doors, a single vertically movable locking bar for locking each door in open or closed position; a master operating bar; a rocker member pivoted on the top of the door connected to actuate the locking bar; a plunger slidably carried by said rocker member and adapted to engage the master bar; and selector means for operating said plunger to impart unlocking, door propelling and locking-movements as the master bar is moved in either direction.

7. In an operating and locking system for a plurality of sliding cell doors, a single vertically movable locking bar for locking each door in open or closed position; a master operating bar; a rocker member pivoted on the top of the door connected to actuate the locking bar; a plunger slidably carried by said rocker member and adapted to engage the master bar; selector means for operating said plunger to impart unlocking, door propelling and locking movements as the master bar is moved in either direction; and means to prevent the plunger from being disengaged from the master bar while the door is unlocked or in transit.

8. In an operating and locking system for a plurality of sliding cell doors, a single vertically movable locking bar for locking each door in open or closed position; a master operating bar; a rocker member pivoted on the top of the door connected to actuate the locking bar; av plunger slidably carried by said rocker member and adapted to engage the master bar; selector means for operating said plunger to impart unlocking, door propelling and locking movements as the master bar is moved in either direction; and coacting means on the plunger and the door to hold the locking bar in its locking position when the'plunger is disengaged from the master bar.

9. In an operating and locking system for a plurality of sliding c-ell doors, a vertically movable locking bar for locking each door in open or closed position; a master operating bar; a rocker member pivoted on the top of the door connected to actuate the locking bar; a plunger slidably carried by said rocker member and adapted to engage the master bar; selector means for operating said plunger to impart unlocking, door propelling and locking movements as the master bar is moved in either direction; the door hanger having an elongated slot presenting enlarged openings at its ends through which the plunger projects; and the plunger having a transverse notch permitting it to slide through the restricted throat of said slot only when the plunger engages said master bar and thereby pr vent actuation of the selector means when the door is unlocked or in transit.

10. In an operating and locking system for a plurality of sliding cell doors, a vertically movable locking bar for locking each door in open or closed position; a master operating bar; a rocker member pivoted on the top of the door connected to actuate the locking bar; a plunger slidably carried by said rocker member and adapted to engage the master bar; selector means for operating said plunger to impart unlocking, door propelling and locking movements as the master bar is moved in either direction; the door hanger having an elongated slot presenting enlarged openings at'its ends through which the plunger projects; and the plunger having a transverse notch permitting it to slide through the restricted throat of said slot only when the plunger engages said master bar and thereby prevent actuation of the selector means when the door is unlocked or in transit, said selector means including a flanged reciprocating link connected to actuate said plunger; and a pull member carrying a spring yieldably urging said plunger toward its master bar engaging position.

11. In a master operating and locking system for a plurality of sliding cell doors, a singlemaster operating member for all of the locks and doors; a rocker on each door including a pivoted channel member having 'its flanges extending laterally; a lockhaving a member confined between the flanges of the channel member to impart operating movement to the lock; and selector means for connecting each rocker to the master bar to impart'actuating movements to lock and propel the door in proper sequence as the bar is moved in either direction.

12. In an operating and locking system for a plurality of sliding cell doors, a cover box above the doors; a hanger on each door in the cover box; a vertical locking bar for locking each door opened or closed and also projecting into the cover box; a T-shaped rocker pivoted to the top of the door hanger and slidably engaging the upper end of the locking bar; a single master bar in the cover box; a plunger slidably mounted 1 v in the stem portion of each rocker and adapted to be projected into engagement with the master bar; coacting means on the plunger and hanger to lock the rocker relative to the hanger when the door is locked and the plungeris disengaged from the master bar; and selector means for en,- gaging the plunger with the master bar to impart actuating movements to looks and doors.

13. In an operating and locking system for a plurality of sliding cell doors, a cover boxabove the doors; a hanger on each door in the cover box; a vertical locking bar for locking each door opened or closed and also projecting into the cover box; a T-shaped rocker including a substantially horizontal channel member constituting the arms and pivoted to said hanger with the channel opening rearwardly in the cover box; a roller on the upper end of the locking bar confined in said channel so that rocking movement will raise and lower the locking bar; a longitudinally movable master bar in the cover box; a selector operated plunger for connecting the stem portion of the rocker to the master bar; guide rollers in the cover box arranged to engage the channel member and arrest it in its door unlocking position and confine it to move horizontally with the door; the upper flange of the channel member having notches near its opposite end to permit the channel to rock and a roller to pass therethrough only when the door is fully open-ed or closed and thereby impart locking movement to the locking bar.

HERBERT S. HART. HULL YOUNGBLOOD. 

